Arsenal 'injury crisis' deepens but how worried should Mikel Arteta really be?

Mikel Arteta has been left to count Arsenal’s walking wounded (Picture: Getty/ Metro)

The sense of foreboding Arsenal fans had heading into the international break has at least partially been justified after Martin Zubimendi became the tenth player to head back to north London prematurely.

Mikel Arteta had already been sweating on the fitness of Martin Odegaard , who has missed the last seven games in all competitions with a knee injury, but his anxiety levels will certainly have risen given the unending stream of injury updates.

The skipper, who was absent again last week as the Gunners saw their quadruple hopes go up in smoke following defeat in the Carabao Cup final, was described as ‘grumpy and frustrated’ by Norway boss Stale Solbakken as a consequence of his recent inactivity.

It is to be hoped that Odegaard will be back in time to feature in Arsenal’s next game, against Southampton in an FA Cup quarter-final tie on April 4, but how many of his teammates will be available for selection?

Eberechi Eze missed Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final defeat (Photo Getty Images)

The summer signing from Cystal Palace belatedly appeared to be finding his footing just at the moment he succumbed to an untimely blow.

After sublime performance against Bayer Leverkusen, decorated by his stunning volley which put Arsenal in control of the tie, Eze hobbled off with what looked like an ankle injury.

Eze downplayed the severity of the setback immediately after the game but, after picking up another knock in training, was forced to sit out a Wembley showpiece occasion and subsequently pulled out of the England squad .

It now transpires that one of Arsenal’s most creative players will now miss anything between four to six weeks which means, in a best case scenario, he could be back for the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Sporting Lisbon on April 15.

Two Arsenal’s A-list stars were already likely to benefit from a quieter international fortnight than usual after both were granted permission to put their feet up for a week by Thomas Tuchel.

The pair missed Friday night’s soporific draw against Uruguay but were expected to play some part against Japan in midweek. Instead, they will return to London Colney and enjoy an extended breather ahead of the trip to St Mary’s.

Noni Madueke was injured playing for England (Picture: Getty Images)

With Saka enduring a difficult run of form, Madueke appeared destined to play a greater role over the course of the run-in, but that prospect looks uncertain after he was seen walking through the Wembley mixed zone with a brace on his injured knee .

Arsenal will assess the damage in the coming days and while an official prognosis is unlikely to arrive immediately, the signs are not good.

‘I’m worried, of course, because I think he was a difference-maker today,’ said Thomas Tuchel after Madueke was by a challenge from Rodrigo Aguirre.

‘He started well, he was full of energy, he was ready to go. And I think against a team like Uruguay, who relies on one-against-ones, to isolate them there and to go in one-against-ones from every minute out there, the spaces open up and he could have been a key player for us, which he is.

‘Very sad and upset and hopefully it’s not a big injury.’

The elegant defender has been a mainstay of the Arsenal rearguard that has provided the platform on which much of this season’s success has been built.

Saliba was one of the few to emerge from the Carabao Cup final defeat with credit in the bank but it remains to be seen how significantly he aggravated an ankle problem that has troubled him since September and forced him to skip France’s games against Brazil and Colombia.

Gabriel was injured playing for Brazil in November (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Arsenal’s other tower of defensive power sat out six weeks of the season between mid November and late December after he suffered a groin strain playing for Brazil against Senegal.

If the Gunners are to get over the line in any or all of the competitions they remain in contention to win, they can ill-afford to be without their wall at the back and the sight of him pulling out of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, with what appears to be a minor knee injury, was met with some relief.

Even the summer signing from Real Sociedad may not have expected to have been pushed as much has he has been in his first season in English football.

A late cameo in Spain’s 3-0 win over Serbia represented his 50th appearance for club and country already this term but his 51st will have to wait for now.

An RFEF statement, released on Sunday, read: ‘Martin Zubimendi has withdrawn from the Spanish national team camp due to discomfort in his right knee.

‘To avoid any risk and to protect the player’s health, he has been removed from the squad. Arsenal FC’s medical staff have been informed of the situation.’

Piero Hincapie wa subbed off after playing 72 minutes for Ecuador against Morocco (Picture: Getty)

The Ecuador international was given a torrid time by Antoine Semenyo a week ago but that chastening experience aside, he has proven to be an extremely shrewd addition.

Given Riccardo Calafiori’s frailties, Arteta will not want to be without the on-loan Bayer Leverkusen for too long and it he will be anxiously awaiting an update after the defender was substituted after 72 minutes against Morocco.

The versatile Arsenal forward has struggled to build on his impressive start to the season and hasn’t scored since a 4-1 win over Aston Villa on December 27.

Despite that lack of output, he remains one of Arteta’s most trusted lieutenants. Hopefully a couple of weeks off nursing a reported hip injury will see the 31-year-old return to his best as the finish line draws ever closer.